Week 7 of the NFL season is already here, as hard as it is to believe, and it's coming off the heels of a consequential Week 6 slate.
The Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan after Tennessee looked hapless once more in a loss to the Raiders. The Lions lost to the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football and also lost safety Brian Branch for their MNF matchup this week after he caused a postgame fight by going after JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Eagles look like they're falling apart again due to a brutal loss to the Giants and the Commanders' loss to the Bears muddies the NFC East picture quite a bit. Speaking of, the Cowboys got steamrolled by old friend Rico Dowdle and lost to the Panthers on a last-second field goal despite another great Dak Prescott game. The Bills' status as championship contenders is now being questioned after losing to the Falcons; consequentially the Patriots have retaken their longtime spot atop the division standings in the AFC East.
A lot happened! And even more will follow in Week 7 action. Let's take a look at the coverage map for Sunday, October 19
What is an NFL coverage map?
Coverage maps show exactly what games will be broadcast where around the country on Sunday.
Each week, every non-primetime game (in other words, the games that aren't played on Thursday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, or Monday Night Football) is broadcast on either CBS or Fox at 1 p.m. ET or around 4 p.m. ET. This means fans everywhere will have at least two games shown on their screens every Sunday afternoon during the season.
Every team playing will have its game broadcast in its local market no matter what (i.e. the Cincinnati Bengals will always be on in Cincinnati). But that still leaves another game to be broadcast, which is assigned by the network. And in the case that the local team is playing during primetime or is on a bye week, there will still be a game broadcast in the window they'd normally play.
Ergo, the coverage map shows that: what teams will be shown in what cities when the local team is not playing. Maps are all courtesy of 506sports.
NFL coverage map Week 7
CBS single game window
Here's the coverage map for games being shown on CBS that kick off at 1 p.m. ET and 4:05 p.m. ET. Games kicking off at 4:05 p.m. ET are denoted as "LATE" on the key.
CBS coverage map key
Fox early game window
Here's the coverage map for games being shown on Fox that kick off at 1 p.m. ET.
Fox early game coverage map key
Fox late game window
Here's the coverage map for games being shown on Fox that kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Fox late game coverage map key
Key NFL matchups in Week 7
The Chiefs' game against the Raiders is an intriguing AFC West battle that Kansas City would like to win in order to keep up with the Chargers and Broncos, currently tied for the division lead. It could also prove consequential because it should be the first look at the full-strength Chiefs with Rashee Rice set to return from suspension. How much his presence bolsters the receiving corps will be quite telling as far as how the championship landscape pans out this season.
There will be many eyes on how the Eagles perform this week as they travel to Minnesota to battle the Vikings and Brian Flores's diabolical defense. Philadelphia is remarkably unsteady for a defending Super Bowl champion and another loss might send things into a tailspin akin to the 2023 disaster. Either way it's a pair of 4-2 NFC teams who could find themselves jockeying for playoff positioning down the line and will want to win this one.
Monday night will bring perhaps the best game of the week, with the Lions battling the Buccaneers. Both teams are banged up but still very competitive and, like the Eagles-Vikings game above, it wouldn't be shocking if this contest wound up meaningful as far as playoff tiebreakers go. The combined grit level will be through the roof with Dan Campbell pacing the sideline and Baker Mayfield stubbornly refusing to fold despite losing all his top receiving targets and No. 1 running back.
What a week it will be. Enjoy the games!
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL TV Coverage Map Week 7: Full Breakdown of CBS, Fox Broadcasts.
